Friday, April 4, 2025

Be an Activist

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to
the whole community and as long as I live,
it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

George Bernard Shaw


We must take sides. Neutrality helps
the oppressor, never the victim.
Silence encourages the tormentor,
never the tormented.

Elie Wiesel


The world will not be destroyed by those
who do evil, but by those who watch
 them without doing anything.

Albert Einstein


There are many noteworthy examples of
ordinary evil in every culture and country
around the globe, but in terms of preventable
evil I am hard pressed to find any examples
that approach those systematically perpetrated
by humans against the members of other species.

Lawrence Pope


It is more important to prevent animal suffering,
rather than sit to contemplate the evils
of the universe.

Buddha


The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression
and cruelty by the bad people but
the silence over that by the good people.

Martin Luther King, Jr.


- Make a clear intention - how do I want to contribute to this world?
- Take a leap of faith. Don't let fear determine your actions.
- Personal branding & communication skills to reach as many as possible.
- Plant seeds. You never know what they will grow into.
- Use your strengths. Direct them towards your mission.
- Have a positive vibe. Nudge and be inclusive but always maintain a clear message.


An active minority always wins out
over a passive minority.

Robert Thompson


Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.
Voltaire


A good person will resist an evil system
with his whole soul.

Mahatma Gandhi


Think about what your skills are, and what you
enjoy doing, or what you're good at and
employ those specific skills to make
the world a better place.

Jo-Anne McArthur


Our lives no longer belong to us alone:
they belong to all those who
need us desperately.

Eli Wiesel


I have seen firsthand how injustice
gets overlooked when the victims are
powerless or vulnerable, when they have
no one to speak up for them and no means of
representing themselves to higher authority.
Animals are in precisely that position.
Unless we speak out on their behalf,
abuse and cruelty goes unchallenged.

Desmond Tutu


Terror becomes total when it becomes
independent of all opposition; it rules
supreme when nobody any longer stands
in its way. If lawfulness is the essence of
non-tyrannical government and lawlessness
is the essence of tyranny, then terror is
the essence of totalitarian domination.

Hannah Arendt


The problem is that humans have victimized
animals to such a degree that they are
not even considered victims.
They are not considered at all.

Gary Yourofsky


You can also commit injustice
by doing nothing.

Marcus Aurelius


People who say it cannot be done
should not interrupt those who are doing it.

George Bernard Shaw


Those who love peace must learn to organize
as effectively as those who love war.

Martin Luther King, Jr.


There are many causes I would die for.
There is not a single cause I would kill for.

Mahatma Gandhi


If you are neutral in situations of injustice,
you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

Desmond Tutu


May our broken hearts fuel us to fix our world.
Cloe Wade


The difference between what we do and what we
are capable of doing would suffice to solve
most of the world's problems.

Mahatma Gandhi


Just one candle can light another and can light
thousands of other candles, so one heart
illuminates another heart and can
illuminate thousands of other hearts.

Leo Tolstoy


Life is no brief candle to me.
It is a sort of splendid torch
which I have got a hold of for the moment and
I want to make it burn as brightly as possible
before handing it on to future generations.

George Bernard Shaw


Be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

Minimalism

Simplify your life, for in doing so, you make
room for clarity and purpose. By removing
anything unnecessary, you create space for
what truly matters.

Epictetus


Truth, like gold, is to be obtained
not by its growth, but by washing away
from it all that is not gold.

Leo Tolstoy


1. Work (essentialism)
2. Personal finances (awareness, goals)
3. Time (daily routines)
4. Possessions (declutter)
5. Meals (plan)
6. Screen time (limit)
7. Relationships (evaluate, decrease)
8. Mental habits (journal, exercise)


Essentialism is not about how to get more things
done. It's about how to get the right things done.
It is about making the wisest possible investment
of your time and energy in order to operate
at our highest point of contribution
by doing only what is essential.

Greg McKeown


1. Set upp barriers.
2. 30 day detox.
3. Re-evaluate your priorities.


Digital minimalism is a philosophy
of technology use in which you focus
your online time on a small number of
carefully selected and optimized activites that
strongly support things you value and then
happily miss out on everything else.

Cal Newport


1. Coffee filters
2. Bottled water
3. Kitchen appliances
4. Plates, mugs and silverware
5. Plastic bags
6. Books
7. Stationary goods
8. Cleaning supplies
9. Single use items
10. Home decor
11. Seasonal decorations
12. Television
13. Technology
14. Pet toys
15. Fashion accessories
16. Jewelry
17. Fast fashion
18. Cocktails/beverages
19. Souvenirs
20. Things I can't afford


1. High maintenance plants
2. Gifts
3. Kindle
4. Cheese board
5. Supplements
6. Cheap kitchen tools
7. Perfume
8. Glass containers/canisters
9. "What if"-/"Maybe"-clothes
10. High heels


1. A bigger home.
2. First class seats.
3. Salon visits.
4. High-end designer clothes.
5. Latest gadgets.
6. Fine dining.
7. Resorts.
8. Car upgrades.
9. Delivery services.
10. Full-priced items.


- Opportunity cost (when you choose something, you give up something else).
- Research. Buy vegan & cruelty-free products. Support ethical companies.
- Wish list.
- Test of time.
- Use what you have.


Every time you spend money you're casting
a vote for the kind of world you want.

Anna Lappé


How to prepare
- Study your habits.
- Know your purpose.
- Remove temptations.
- How will you measure progress?

Rules
- Check ethical brands, local businesses, thrift first!
- Investments are OK.

Live simply so that others may simply live.
Mahatma Gandhi


Make ethical choices in what you buy, do and
watch. In a consumer-driven society our
individual choices, used collectively for
the good of animals, can change
the world faster than laws.

Marc Bekoff


Each one of us makes a difference every day
by the choices we make. When billions start
making ethical decisions, we can put
the world on the right track.

Jane Goodall


Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing
more to add, but when there is nothing
more to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry


1. Other people's validation.
2. Things that don't align with who I am.
3. Scarcity mindset.
4. Attachment to the past.
5. Fillers of life.

You don't improve your life by doing more.
You improve it by doing less
of what doesn't matter.

Cory Allen


- Get clear about what YOU want and why?
- Narrow your focus.
- Create a strong support system.
- Eliminate and simplify based on your values.
- Let go of control and expectations.


- Reset your shopping habit.
- Simplify. Perfect the basics.
- Practice gratitude.


1. You have a clutter-free home.
2. You are good at prioritizing.
3. You have boundaries.
4. You are not influenced by marketing.
5. You don't compare your life to others.
6. You spend on meaningful purchases.
7. You don't rely on material things for happiness.
8. You feel like you're in control of your life.

Most of what we say and do is not essential.
If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time,
and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every
moment, 'Is this necessary?'

Marcus Aurelius


- Start with your physical space.
- What is your version of a 'simple life'?
- How will you redirect your resources?
- What are the habits and mindset to sustain this lifestyle?
- What can you control vs. let go?

Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out
until you're left only with what you love,
with what's necessary, with what
makes you happy.

Leo Bababuta